A healthcare environment, such as a hospital or other patient care facility, can include a healthcare communication system, such as a patient-nurse or “nurse call” system. These systems can enable real-time voice communication between patients and caregivers through a telecommunications infrastructure.
Some nurse call systems have a “primary station,” which is configured to oversee the operation of the nurse call system for a facility and/or a specific territory within a facility, such as a nursing unit, in real time. The primary station, which is typically located in a designated staff area, may communicate with one or more secondary stations that are located throughout the monitored area. When a patient in a room of the facility places a call using the nurse call system, the primary station may receive the call. A caregiver at the primary station may respond to the call, or the system may route the call to a secondary station that may be nearer to the location of a caregiver assigned to handle the call.